Gifted
by Silver Moon of Night
Summary: Once every generation, four are born with an individual concept or element. These four need to be protected from enemies- sprites, pixies, not to mention the things bigger than them- by members of an elite corps of fairies, some of the best by birthright. It's not unusual for guardians and Gifteds to grow close, but this time, it's different. Karkat wasn't meant to be a guardian.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Don't own Homestuck or any of the characters, just the concept. **

Prologue: To That Moment, Part One: **John**

John was born to a father and a mother that loved him, a baker that loved humor and a seamstress that loved the baker. John knew the seamstress loved him and his father dearly, but she'd been forced to go when a fairy flu got a hold on her frail body just after John was born, and being barely a wisp of a fairy, she'd died in the next few hours. Dad Egbert had been dedicated to taking care of his son, however, and had done this in addition to continuing his work as a baker.

As John got older, he began to work in the bakery with his father, and quickly decided he hated it. Being about seven at the time, he didn't know better than to bluntly say this to Dad Egbert. Dad just laughed, shaking his head, and telling his son that, in time, his wings would change and give him his niche in the fairy colony, something he'd excel at, and that this was only temporary. John had grudgingly agreed to keep helping his father, and after a while learned to conceal his abhorring for the job in favor of putting on a smile for the customers, learning that this often led to better tips in the jar than if he was pouty and moody.

His childhood was also filled with eager friendships, mainly with those who shared his classes at school. Of these fairies, three stood out as his best friends.

There was, first and foremost, Dave, his "best bro for life," determined in following his brother's path in making new types of music featuring "sicknasty beats," other enterprises, and of course, being a master of irony. He liked to draw terrible pictures and call them comics, selling them after a terrible coloring job for a surprisingly good price. He also always wore shades and tried to maintain a cool, impassive attitude, mirroring his older brother in this as well, but often failed to contain his stronger feelings. When he'd had his thirteenth birthday, John had gifted him a new pair of shades on a whole new level of irony than those his bro had given him, and he'd worn them since. He believed he'd be a member of the secret guardians of the court, though he'd never say exactly why, and was a wealthier kid, not bad with a long sword either.

Rose was another of his friends, and his childhood crush; when she turned thirteen, he'd gifted her a knitting kit, and since then, she'd been making things from it and saying that she was almost positive her niche would be tailor or seamstress, something of the sort. They'd dated for a short while when they were about fourteen, before Rose discovered she had more of an affinity for other females and broke it to John and their other friends, who were all okay with it; it was not uncommon in their society. Her mother shared the affinity for women, but liked men as well, though Rose's sire was unknown. This was simply because she wasn't born normally, like some fairies; she was the result of an enchantment that had grown popular since the growth of same-sex marriages in the colony, though the enchantment did not work with the male marriages. Rose's origin never seemed to matter to her, however, as she was a completely happy fairy with plenty of friends.

Lastly, there was Jade, who was like John's sister, always there for him. She helped him sort out emotions, and often pointed things out that he was too oblivious, or perhaps too stubborn, to see, such as Dave's crush on him in their youth, continuing into their teenage years. She was good with firearms, and often impressed John, not just with her ability with weapons, but with her ability to be completely calm in most situations unless she was pushed to her very limit, or if one of her close friends were distressed. She was talented with tools, entirely convinced that it was in her future to be an inventor and adventurer, with unique views and an uncanny ability to predict things before they happened to the specifics, even if she'd had no clue of it beforehand. Her downfalls were her narcolepsy, which made it dangerous to work with sharp or otherwise dangerous objects, and that she could be a bit forgetful.

Other friends came and went, one standing out particularly to John whenever he thought about it. It was a boy named Karkat, who had been born with crippled wings and had been going through treatment for it at the time. He was a few years older than John, and had been Jade's friend first; John remembered Karkat's confession of single-minded hatred for John just before he'd stolen his first kiss, even before he'd dated Rose, as he'd been twelve at the time, and Karkat fifteen. He'd immediately told Karkat he didn't like guys like that, even though the kiss had made him feel light on the inside, and his wings, still translucent, oval-shaped, and useless, like those of others his age, had fluttered a little, almost managing to lift him from the ground.

Karkat had disappeared about a month later, and John had immediately thought it had been because of his rejection, because Karkat had been a bit more closed to him after that, though they'd been considerably good friends before the incident. His narrow mind didn't even consider any other possibilities, and he worried himself sick over it until Jade had finally told him that Karkat had had surgery done on his wings, which had been successful with the help of a pinch of magic, and while he was recovering his wings had filled out for his niche, placing him as a lower guard or soldier. That's why he hadn't returned to school or his neighborhood; he was currently in training, and afterwards would take up his position as a fighter for the colony.

John kept growing after that, the whole thing slowly fading from his mind until Karkat was nothing but a faint memory, and soon enough, he and his friends were fifteen and eagerly awaiting the times when their wings would fill in as well. Once they started, it could take up to two weeks for their transformation to be complete, and those with their wings forming earlier than others liked to boast about how their wings clearly said they'd be something before they were fully formed, and they ended up being something else. The four friends had to wait, and wait, and wait for their wings though. They were collectively some of the last to have their wings form, but when they did, they were all within a week of one another. Rose, who was about a year older than all of them in actuality, had had to wait a little longer, but had seemed the most pleased when her wings began forming. She had joked about waiting for the others, but John could tell her distress at the long wait, even if it wasn't all that unusual to have "forming stranglers" in each generation.

When their wings were all fully formed, they each had nothing to say. They were speechless. None of them knew what their wing signs mean- none but Rose, and she refused to say on the grounds that she wasn't certain. However, a few days later, John opened the bakery for his father, and not half an hour after starting work, two guards, elites, no less, had stormed into the room. Actually, it was more of a polite, if unexpected entry, and a decree of, "The council requests the presence of John Egbert, due to need for wing marking identification."

John had been scared witless. Surely, surely this wasn't so big of a deal that the council had to get involved? His father hadn't protested against this, however. He only smiled and gave his son a hug, muttering, "I'm so, so proud of you John. I'll see you later." Then he'd handed John his bag and sent him with the guards, going outside to wave after them. John had felt that somehow, this goodbye was more permanent than Dad was letting on, and his parent knew it. He had a feeling that his father was doing exactly what John was at that moment as a few fat, warm tears were allowed to roll down his face.

"You're not in trouble," one of the guards had said as he noticed John was crying. "In fact, if those wings," he'd gestured towards the fairy boy's wings with a little smile, "are what the council thinks they are, then you and your friends are very lucky, and your father knows it. You'll have to stay within the council's immediate area for a while, though, so unfortunately you won't be seeing your father often, if at all." His smile was apologetic, and he was hushed by the other guard, so said no more.

That is how John now found himself before the council with his three best friends, processing what he was just told, that he was the Heir of Breath, one of the four Gifted fairies from his generation, his wings clearly showing this. He was special, and his friends were special, and they had to learn how to control the powers that came with being special and wielding them in a way that would help, not hurt.

They would also need to be guarded for their own protection- each of them as individuals were apparently more important than the entire council.

They'd be allowed to select their own guards out of the ranks of the best elite squadron, though only one for each of them, and it would be based entirely on first impressions based on looks. Apparently, it would also count as a test of skill for those chosen, but John was more excited to see what the guards could do, although a little disheartened at the fact that he wouldn't see his father for a while.

As he walked through the halls of the council tree towards the room where the squadron would be held, Dave, Jade, and Rose with him, along with a few lesser guards and a couple of council members, his mind was racing a mile a minute as it processed everything that had happened. He even bumped into a wall when they were entering the little room because he was so distracted, drawing some amount of chuckling from Jade and Rose, though Dave was stoic as ever. The council members even shared exasperated looks, as if they couldn't believe he was Gifted.

John stepped into the room in embarrassment and took a look around. It was a small room, only about the size of the bakery back home (the thought of which sent a sharp twisting feeling through his gut), though with a domed ceiling and walls forming an octagon, instead of the usual box shape. There was another door on the wall opposite that which they'd entered, and as he watched, it opened, letting in a dozen or so soldiers. His eyes watched each of the elites as they filed in; these knew every nasty pixie trick, every sprite ally and enemy, how to destroy will-o-wisps, and so much more. He could feel himself gawking in awe, before one of the council elders touched his shoulder.

"Show no awe for these fairies, for you are above them, above us all," the elder said sagely, before dipping his head and stepping back.

John frowned at that. He wasn't really better than anyone! But when the elders told them they could, he and his friends stepped forward to inspect the elites more closely. He noticed the commander of the squadron kept glancing at his troops, as if he were nervous, though he remained straight-faced; after watching for a few moments, John pinpointed his gaze to be on a particular fairy near the middle of the group. Curious, he approached the fairy, then stopped to stare in awe.

His strong jaw squared in defiance, crimson eyes staring straight ahead, the fairy looked as though he had a vicious hatred for the world, though there was something else in those eyes- perhaps underlying fear and compassion, John guessed? His wings were unlike anything he'd ever seen, too- the bottom set had the pattern similar to dripping blood like the soldier himself possessed on the higher set of red wings, almost the bright color of candied apples, though they had darker outlines and markings, like all matured wings. There were two sickles at his hip, made of a few sharp angles instead of curved and the glint of steel making him look even more brutal, his wild, untamed black hair adding to the effect. He wore all black and gray, excepting the laces and pocket-covers of his tunic, both of which were a crimson to match his eyes and wings, and plates on his upper arms to guard them, made of leaves like all other armor. Though, John did think it was a little odd that he wasn't wearing the armor plates over his left shoulder and the part of his chest where his heart should be like all the other elites here, and he wasn't even wearing shoes!

"You," he said decidedly, seeming to surprise himself, the soldier, and the commanding chief of the squadron, who immediately darted forward upon the proclamation from John, slipping between him and the soldier.

"Surely you don't mean him?" he asked incredulously, shaking his head. "Not him, not really? Surely, there's another here you believe to look more capable of protecting you than him?" The soldier just stood there, looking shocked and angry.

"I want him," John said firmly, glowering at the commander and pushing him aside. "He's the one I think looks like he can protect me best. I choose him."

"But- Heir of Breath, please, he's not-"

"I'm not an elite, the commander fucked up and picked my sorry ass up by mistake," the soldier growled in explanation, eyes narrowing as his voice held clear sarcasm. "I'm not fucking good enough to protect you. Pick someone else."

"No." The Gifted's voice was firm, eyes fierce, as he turned to the soldier. "You are good enough to protect me. I believe in you, and I chose you. That should be all that matters, right? Isn't my choice over all of yours?" His gaze swept around the room, daring anyone to question it after this had been made so clear. Dave gave him a proud little thumbs-up, his own chosen elite standing by his shoulder; but right now, John hardly gave him a second glance. He gave a firm little nod as he turned back to the soldier. "That's what I thought. Now, I choose you, um…. What's your name?" He gave the soldier a sheepish grin.

His grin was met with a gruff scowl. "Karkat Vantas, _sir._"

**Here's chapter one, of this, guys! I just couldn't wait until F&G was over, sorry, but I'm still working on that, too. :3  
**

**I'd also like to introduce my friend and beta reader for this story, Xiuru! She's gonna be a big help with those little mistakes. :3 (Change of plans, though, she didn't beta read this chapter yet, I was anxious to get it up, I'll post the beta read version later.)**

**-Silver**


	2. Chapter 2

Prologue: To That Moment, Part Two: _Karkat_

Karkat was born into one of the rougher neighborhoods of the colony, but his childhood was quite quaint, at least, for living in the neighborhood he did. His mother died during his birth, but his father cared for him, albeit under a mask of loud shouting and demands. Karkat was quite certain that he had the best father, however, especially in his younger years; for him, being taught how to be loud and angry through example was as good a lesson as he was ever going to get.

This was because Karkat was born with crippled wings, crumpled up like a hastily grabbed paper. From the time he began going to school at the age of five, he was teased and picked on for his wings, and claimed that he only had a few friends, and many enemies. But we are getting ahead of ourselves.

Before the age of five, Karkat would help his father, a hunter, whenever he was home, and would stay inside in the time besides. His father warned him that the world was scary, and dangerous, even possibly right outside his own door, and Karkat heeded his warning, taking the necessary steps to prepare himself for the outside world. He had a babysitter until the age of four, by which time he could wield a sword and shoot a bow and arrow perfectly, by virtue of his father. He understood perfectly the "tough love" that his father showed, toughening him up for the future that he was sure to have in store with the mangled wings settled on his back.

Karkat hardly had any contact with those outside of his home besides his babysitter, and even she had disappeared when Karkat's father seemed he had no need of her services any longer. He grew up mean and fierce, and he grew up sheltered and away from others, right up until the time that he began school. There were not even other children in his neighborhood, this he knew from the rare times when he went out.

From the time he began school, some time after he turned five but before he'd reached his sixth year, he was shunned by all but a few. His friends came and went quickly, the only constant column of strength in his life being his father, the only support that was always there, even if he had odd ways of showing it. Karkat eventually stopped trying to make friends, his injuries making him an outcast, simply because of the way he was born.

Yes, he stopped trying to make friends, his temper worsening further to hide the vulnerability and loneliness inside, but that did not mean friends did not seek him out. Along the way, he gained friends that refused to fall to his off-putting attitude and sought deeper, to the person he was inside.

Terezi Pyrope was his first close friend, and his first crush, but he quickly put it behind him as childish emotions that he knew were not reciprocated, not really, even if she would occasionally flirt with him. She was the first to reach inside and be able to make Karkat show a little concern when she was hurt, to let her know how he was feeling. In return, she did the same for him, and truly opened up to him on a few occasions, even if they were not quite as open and honest as they could have been. This only got worse when Karkat confessed his former feelings for her, and she still turned him down, and he felt out his feelings weren't as long-gone as he'd then thought.

Gamzee was his very best friend from the moment they met, even if Karkat hadn't quite seen it that way. Gamzee had fended off some bullies and then turned to give Karkat a smile that lifted his spirits almost instantly, and he'd found himself being honest and completely open with Gamzee over time. They'd gone out for a little while, but when they broke up, they still maintained their close friendship, unlike Karkat had with Terezi, who he knew was still there if he really needed her, but who he no longer trusted quite as much as he did his new friend, who loved to paint his face as if he were clown of some kind, and who Karkat knew was addicted to all sorts of strange things, but he never said anything because of the single time that he'd seen Gamzee off of all those things and had to calm him down.

Kanaya was an almost motherly figure for him, even though she was only a little older than him. He didn't ever mind, though. Sometimes she could make him feel better when he was down.

Then there was Eridan. At first he acted as though he wouldn't touch the lower-born fairies (those born into lower classes, who hadn't even gotten their own niches yet) with a long sterile pole, but he soon seemed to warm up to Karkat, even if he didn't really show it often. Karkat couldn't help but pity the guy, misunderstood and almost an outcast himself just because of the way he treated lower-borns. On the inside, though, once one got to know him, Karkat learned that he was a little less of an ass than he usually was, even a little lonely.

There were others, of course- those he knew by association and eventually became friends with, but none as good as those.

Then, one day, he'd made friends with a younger kid, about three years their elder. Her name was Jade, and she only seemed amused at his shouty attitude, though she was bound to get impatient with him when he began putting people down, especially himself. He would always explain that he deserved it, he was a stupid fuck-up good-for-nothing and his wings probably wouldn't even change to give him his place in the colony despite the procedures he was going through to attempt to have them fixed.

She introduced him to her friends, and that was when Karkat met John. The younger boy was often infuriating, with his constant cheerful moods and almost purposely oblivious attitude. He was almost kind of an asshole. Almost. Karkat didn't think he really understood what he was doing, and the only time he really meant any of his asshole-ishness was when he was pulling pranks. But underneath, Karkat knew that no matter what John did, he would always, always care about his friends.

He ended up telling himself that he hated John, even though when he was around him he would suddenly become a ranting ball of rage, but through those words one could sense underlying concern and care for the other boy. He was always a little more open around him than he was with his other friends, second only to Gamzee, even though he'd known John for only a short time.

One day, however, he got particularly angry at John and told him he hated him single-mindedly, like no one had been hated before. The look of shock, betrayal, and just raw hurt on his face instantly made Karkat feel bad, so he'd leaned forward (embarrassingly enough, he was only about as tall as John though he was a few years older) and kissed him as hard as he could, wanting to perhaps kiss away John's pain and soothe his fears. For a few moments, he realized he was in love, and all he wanted to do was hold the younger boy.

This peace was shattered when John stepped back, looking at him apologetically. His exact words rang in Karkat's ears: "I'm sorry, Karkat. I'm really not a homosexual. I'm sorry, really, I am, but can we please just be friends?"

"Fucking asshole!" Karkat had let out something like a growl at him and stomped off, hurt immensely, even more than John had seemed to be earlier.

After almost a month of sheltered feelings and scathing words, Karkat was told that the council believed they'd found someone who could help him with his wing problem. He was taken in for surgery and told himself he was glad that he would never see Egbert again after this, but it was a lie, and his heart knew it. His other friends, who had already begun receiving their niches by that time, had promised to keep in touch, and so far the ones that mattered had kept their word. He'd never told Egbert or his friends how to contact him, and Jade was the only one that knew where he'd gone. He trusted her to tell John and the others.

He hardly remembered anything before the surgery, but after he remembered waking and feeling wings that were a little less heavy on his back, and remembered being overjoyed to hear it was a success. The first thing he did was ask for John, to tell him he was okay and that his wings were good as new- but when the doctors told him that John was not there, he was confused at first. Had it just been a dream, then, from when he'd been put under, that he and that goofy Egderp worked everything out and were in a strong, healthy relationship? Karkat thought that was most likely and grimaced, settling his head back. For that moment on, he condemned any thoughts of John that entered his mind.

Soon after his surgery, two things happened to Karkat. His wings began to change, to develop and reveal his niche; they were a strange, bright candy red, designs like dripping blood on them, and they were, at first, completely unfamiliar to the council, to everyone, really. He offered up the information that he'd known how to use weapons since before he could really even talk properly, and that his specialty was, in fact, with using sickles, since the age of seven. This had landed him a spot in a lower soldier academy, alongside the elite academy, which really only differentiated in the tougher courses and more dangerous jobs. He got word from Gamzee that all of his friends but a couple had landed themselves in an elite squadron together, and that they missed him. He returned the feeling, but would never admit it.

When he graduated the academy a few years later, he was sent out on missions, mainly patrols around the borders and scouting missions. They didn't completely trust him with even the higher duties of the lower class of soldiers, since his wings had not actually given him his duty- no, no, it was just the talent he'd already possessed with weapons. It certainly wasn't enough for the council to give him any important job.

That was until the day that the four new Gifteds were found. He'd heard vague whispers about them, but nothing more, and he didn't really care enough to learn more. In the past few weeks he'd finally been entrusted with the duty of leading patrols and scouting missions, instead of just following some dimwit leader. As the leader himself, he was expected to personally report to the council, so he had to admit that it was a pretty important job, helping to keep the colony safe from enemies.

He was coming back from a night and early morning patrol to report, taking a back passage reserved for soldiers, guards, and others of their ilk, when he was suddenly shouted at. "Soldier! Get back in line!" He was swept into a squadron in the narrow little hallway, and he suddenly remembered; 'Fuck, fuck, I was supposed to postpone reporting back by an hour because the passage was needed for the elites. Fuck, fuck, fuck! I'm such a goddamn screw-up!' He gritted his teeth and kept quiet, though, accepting the fact that he would most likely get punished for this later, taken off the lineup for leading missions for at least a couple of months.

It was when they were filed into a room that Karkat finally noticed; 'Oh, shit. These fairies...' Looking around just a little, he saw the faces that he usually saw smiling and welcoming, usually his friends, but now on duty, strict and emotionless. Well, not quite; but they weren't exactly the chatty, noisy rays of sunshine Karkat was usually around.

Not only that, but looking ahead again, a hollow pit of dread formed in the pit of his stomach. He knew those faces. He knew _that_ face. Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck. His heart began beating loudly against his chest, as if it were trying to escape from behind the confines of his ribcage. He glanced at the commander, who was glancing back, seeming to have finally noticed Karkat. He almost hoped that the commander would apologize for his own transgression and pull Karkat out, get him the fuck out of here, because no. He wasn't facing that boy again. He'd done his best to forget him. Besides, that boy was still a child, and Karkat was a full-grown man. Fuck, even from here he could see that he was taller than the boy now.

But it seemed the commander would rather yell at Karkat later and save himself some shame, rather than saving Karkat from this torture he was being put through. He was made to stand there while the council members spoke to the Gifteds, but he tried not to listen, not to pay attention. He could feel the commander's eyes keep flickering over to him, but nothing was said.

Just when he finally began to think he was going to get out of this with his heart intact, the boy marched right up to him, looking him over, and Karkat felt as though his heart would leap out of his throat at any minute. And then, the thing he dreaded was said: "You."

Karkat was shocked, he wouldn't deny it. So was the commander, apparently, as he raced over and frantically tried to argue with the boy, but Karkat cut in. "I'm not an elite, the commander fucked up and picked my sorry ass up by mistake," he growled sarcastically, glaring at the Gifted boy. "I'm not fucking good enough to protect you. Pick someone else." 'Please, please, just fucking pick anyone else.'

To his surprise, the boy shook his head. "No." His voice was determined, and his expression was aflame with passion for this cause. Karkat was both touched and shocked. "You are good enough to protect me. I believe in you, and I chose you. That should be all that matters, right? Isn't my choice over all of yours?" He looked away here to look over the room, as if challenging someone to argue. No one did. "That's what I thought. Now, I choose you, um…. What's your name?"

John had grown, and he'd matured. But he didn't recognize Karkat. It wasn't some pity-choosing. He really believed Karkat could protect him.

But in return for this belief, which would surely get Karkat chewed out by a ranking officer later, and the almost shy grin on John's face, the elder gave him a dark scowl. "Karkat Vantas, _sir_."

**I've decided not to bother my beta about these chapters until she has time. She's a bit busier than I am this summer. Here you are, then. Next chapter for you all. **

**-Silver**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter One: Role of the Guardians: John

Those three bitter words from Karkat's lips made John stiffen as memories came flooding back to him from dark corners of his mind, and he stared at the soldier with wide eyes. Karkat returned the shocked stare with an unimpressed glare, and John had the feeling that he'd known who he was all along, which only served to make him feel terrible. Of course this was Karkat! Looking at him now, he wore the familiar angry expression and looked just the same as John remembered, excluding the facts that he was now taller than John and his wings had changed to reveal his niche.

"Karkat? Is that really you?" It was a stupid thing of John to say, and he knew it, but he could hardly believe it. This was his friend that he hadn't seen for about five years now, though the terms on which they'd parted weren't exactly pleasant to remember. He put this out of his mind to wonder at the fact that they'd been reunited after all that time. How old was Karkat now? Twenty, twenty-one, maybe? All he could remember was that Karkat was a few years older than him.

"No duh it's me, dipshit," Karkat barked in return, scowling. "Actually, no, I'm his carbon copy who stole his identity a few years back, and I'm even more of a fuck-up than he will ever fucking be. Yes I'm Karkat fucking Vantas, who did you expect me to be? Goddamn king of the sprites?"

John flinched a little at the angry blaze in those bright red eyes, shaking his head. Okay, so Karkat had either gotten good at hiding his feelings, or he'd lost whatever feelings he had for John, which he supposed was a good thing. He certainly still didn't feel anything for Karkat, after all, especially not after all that time that they'd not even seen hide nor hair of each other. "Well, sorry. It's just, we haven't seen you in so long!" He grinned goofily.

The Heir jumped suddenly when a gentle hand was placed on his shoulder. "Excuse me, Heir, but now that the selecting process is over we would like to show you all to your wing of the council tree." The council member clasped John's shoulder firmly but kindly, smiling at him and nodding shortly, making a motion with his hands that they should get going now.

The tips of John's ears turned red as he became suddenly embarrassed that he'd made sort of a scene in front of everyone else. He nodded and sighed, giving Karkat an "I'm sorry but we're still talking about this later" look. He really did want to catch up with his old friend, even if Karkat didn't seem quite as overjoyed to see John as John was to see him. It had been quite a while, and it seemed Karkat had accomplished much in that time. John was quite enthusiastic to learn what Karkat had been up to as well, and what his true niche was.

In return for his enthusiasm, however, John was promptly given the cold shoulder. It seemed Karkat was doing his best to avoid talking to John, and eventually his grunting of answers stopped altogether in favor of glaring the newly-niched boy down. Only then did John raise his eyebrows and hold up his hands in a little gesture of surrender, turning to Dave, who seemed to be trading insults with his guardian.

John wondered why Dave had picked him as a guardian if they were just going to bicker, though he supposed he wasn't one to talk, and he was mildly surprised to vaguely recognize the man as one of Karkat's old friends. His wild black curls seemed to go everywhere, and he wore a black tunic with dark violet trimming, underneath which was a gray shirt, and wore a pair of black pants that were blotched with gray polka-dots. His shoes seemed to be made of the same type of leaves that the armor on his chest and upper arms were made out of, and he carried what seemed to be large juggling pins on a belt around his waist, of the type that any good sort of jester would possess. He was by far the tallest one in their group moving towards their new rooms. John considered saying something to them, but he didn't want to interrupt their rapid-fire of insults. It didn't really seem serious, otherwise he would definitely break in and stop it.

His eyes traveled to Rose and her guardian, eyebrows rising at the sight of the two. They already seemed to be getting along quite well, in contrast with Dave and his guardian, chatting merrily to each other with pleasant smiles. He smiled at that, wishing he and Karkat could get along just as well. The woman had on the usual breastplate, along with shoulder pads and an armored tunic over a black shirt with red sleeves, her jade-colored eyes filled with kind gentleness. Her hair was cut short, and she wore a sort of layered red dress, along with shoes that John recognized as being made of leaves that were soft and supple, shaped for moving quickly and comfortably. They seemed to be a perfect match for the job, already getting on quite well. He didn't want to interrupt them either, as it seemed they were deep in conversation, probably about something that he wouldn't understand.

"John!" He jumped as his name was called and looked over to Jade and her guardian as they waved him over. He smiled and glanced at Karkat, who seemed to be refusing to look at any of them and was only staring straight ahead. John sighed at that and walked up to Jade and her guardian, smiling at them, and before he could say anything Jade gestured at the elite beside her. "This is Nepeta! She's an awesome person from what I've seen she's great, really nice! Even though, you know, I only just met her. She says she knows Karkat!"

"Oh, yes! Karkitty is so wonderful once you get to know him!" Nepeta grinned, showing off teeth that were fearfully sharp, and John almost jumped out of his skin. He looked again, and they reminded him of pixie teeth, almost razor-sharp. Nepeta seemed to notice, and her grin grew smaller. "Sorry, sorry. My… dad was a pixie." Her grin widened again, and she chirped, "But my mom always loved me anyway! She was always so supportive, you know?" John furrowed his brow at that. She was using past tense. Did that mean…?

"Is your mother…?" He frowned, hoping he wasn't treading on thin ice here. After a moment of hesitation, Nepeta nodded. "I'm so sorry."

"It's not a problem." She shook her head, her short black curls falling back to frame her face when her head stilled again. Looking at her olive eyes again, John could see another sign of her pixie heritage- her pupils were like a cat's, large in the dim light of the passageway, but whenever they went past a lantern or an opening in the tree's bark, they momentarily became slits. "Besides, I have a bunch of friends to help me!" She smiled, looking Jade, and her smile became a grin again. "And a couple of new friends, too! It's really nice to meet you all." She nodded, giggling. "Oh, and John? Karkat used to talk about you a lot! I hope you two get along again. I used to like him before he met you, but I gave up. The way he talked about you…." Her eyes lit up, and she smiled fondly. "You two were on my shipping wall for sure! I just decided that in time, I'd meet someone who returned my feelings." John couldn't help but be curious when she said that though- exactly _how_ had Karkat talked about John?

"See, isn't she cool, John? She's going to be a great roommate! I hope you and Karkat start getting along again soon, because it's going to be a real bummer spending the rest of your life with someone you hate." Jade wrinkled her nose at the thought, then perked up when she saw the baffled expression on John's face. "What? John, didn't you know? These guardians are tied to us for the rest of our lives! This is their lifelong calling now, until one of us or the other die! Most of the time, this leads to Gifteds and guardians being couples, too. Nepeta and I both already knew that, I'm surprised you didn't! We've already accepted it, but decided we'd get to know each other a little better before getting too attached to the idea, you know?"

John staggered back, shaking his head. "I'm going to talk to Karkat again," he muttered, backing up before turning to join Karkat again. He'd fallen to the back of the line, save for the council member and a guard purposely taking up the rear, the soldier almost appearing as though he wished to disappear, though out of spite for the situation, not fear or anxiety. John stared at Karkat for a long time before he said, "You liked romance novels, didn't you? You always talked about how uncultured I was in romance. You don't seem to have any feelings for me anymore, either. I guess that's good, because I still don't think I'm into guys." Karkat shot him an irritated glance and a growl. "So did you know, too? That Gifteds usually find their soul mates in their guardians? I'm sorry, Karkat, I didn't know, and I didn't know that guardians are tied to Gifteds for as long as they both live. I know you wanted some exciting romance, and this just isn't it, is it? It's like another rejection, even if neither of us have those feelings, and to rub salt in the wound, you couldn't have a relationship with someone else without either running away and possibly being hunted down or having to drag me around on all your dates." He smiled, sincerely apologetic in that action.

Karkat was silent for a long moment, and John was terribly afraid that he'd said something to offend him. Then he sighed, nodding. "I knew. At least, I'd heard rumors. This definitely not what I thought my love life was going to end up being like, but I should've known, as shitty as the rest of my life has turned out to be so far. I'm trying to accept it, though, so don't go all fucking 'Karkat deserves to be pitied' on me, because I don't want any fucking pity. Let's just agree to frolic through flower fields as platonic not-bros for the entirety of the rest of our lives and try to not get on each other's nerves, and I think we'll be fine. At least, we won't kill each other, and who knows, maybe we can learn to get along as stupid friends again who have idiotic talks about the kinds of books we read and plays we preferred as kids."

"That's the spirit!" John laughed, nudging Karkat in the ribs gently with his elbow, when the group stopped. "This would be the room for the one Gifted with the abilities to manipulate time." The council member in front bowed to Dave, opening his door with a key and then holding out the key to Dave. Dave took it with a cool little nod, not saying a word as he disappeared into the room, Gamzee waiting outside for a moment before a hand reached out from the door and pulled him in. As the door closed, another argument could be heard starting up inside, and the council member grimaced.

"As for our Heir of Breath, he who controls winds, you will take this room." He walked across the hall, performing in the same way he had when presenting Dave with his room. John nodded and gave the council member a grin before making his way inside, Karkat following closely behind and shutting the door after them.

John was astounded to find that they had not one room, but five. There was a living room, with comfortable couches and shelves lining the walls, books filling every one, and as he searched amongst the titles he found they were his favorites, or ones that he'd never read before but sounded interesting. A lush blue carpet was spread over the floor, soft on his feet as he removed his shoes and urged Karkat to do the same. There was small table by the couch, and the rest was empty space, presumably for John to do what he wished with the room- although, he did think he'd let Karkat decorate some too.

There was a single bedroom with two beds, each on different sides of the room, with little nightstands and wardrobes. John set his bag and its meager contents on the bed he assumed was his by the bright blue hood and cloak he found at the foot. There were papers on the nightstand by Karkat's bed- he didn't look at them once he saw the military seal and Karkat's name scrawled across the top, figuring they might be private orders.

The other three rooms were nothing special, really- a small but well-stocked kitchen, a typical bathroom save for the large tub at one end, and a room that seemed to be empty, for them to do with what they would. After examining the place, John sat Karkat down and looked him over, appearing very serious for once. "Okay, Karkat, I understand that you're not entirely happy that I picked you out of everybody else, and I understand that you'd rather I just told them to give me someone else. But honestly, even when I didn't know it was you, I got a feeling of security when I picked you. I know you can and will do your best to protect me. Won't you?"

Karkat stared for a long while, then nodded.

"Now, I also want us to agree on another thing. If either of us ever gets feelings for the other, because from what we know it's really likely, then we won't tell each other unless we're certain the other feels the same or we can handle and are prepared for rejection. I don't want us on bad terms, even though I know that, yeah, okay, holding in emotions is really kind of bad for people. Can we also agree on that?"

Karkat didn't hesitate before he nodded again, adding in an aggressive tone, "That's not going to be a fucking problem, douchewad. Not after the _heartless _way you rejected me the first time. As if I'd give anyone like that a second chance. And apparently, you're not attracted to other men, so, wow, we won't have to worry about fucking saint Egbert with his heterosexuality over here!"

John fought down anger at that, a scowl just barely fighting its way to his lips before he pushed it down again. "I know you don't mean that, Karkat." Here he rolled his eyes as if to say, _I'm master of sarcasm, of course I don't._ John ignored him and continued, "I want to say that I really trust you. You're a good friend, too, so I hope we can be back on good terms someday?" He smiled, holding out his hand for Karkat to shake.

The soldier eyed the hand as if it were going to lash out and bite him, extremely wary, before nodding again and taking his hand in a firm shake. It was his job to stay with this boy for life. Making friends with him again would just help ease that bitter fact.

**Agh, sorry for the delay! I'm going to the beach tomorrow as well, but I almost have the next chapter of F&G written, too. :'D I don't know how much I'll be able to write after I get there, but I'll try. I also included a link on my profile to art for this story, just in case you were wondering what the mains look like. Visual aids! X'D **

**Pssst, hey. I'm gonna do something for you awesome people. I want to try to write something other than JohnKat for once, so I want you all to review with a pairing (other than JohnKat), a prompt that is fifteen words or less, and I'll write your usernames on pieces of paper and draw one at random right before I post the next chapter so I can announce the winner. If I like your prompt, I might even do that once as well even if I don't draw your name. It'll only be a one-shot though, and will be smut. Even if it's a NOTP of mine, I'll write it. Good luck to all! **

**-Silver**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 2: Elite Training: _Karkat_

Karkat was up bright and early the next morning, waking with the rising sun. His sleep schedule wasn't going away just like that, after all. Plus, he had to get John up for his first day of training, and had his own training to attend. The envelope on his bedside table had contained the basics of the training he'd be going through, and he'd read every word with care. He didn't want to be in any deeper trouble than he already was, with all that had happened.

The soldier shook John awake after washing his face and changing into suitable training clothes, scowling as he mumbled in his sleep and tried to roll over, slapping at Karkat's hand. "Wake the fuck up, shitstain! We're going to be really damn late if you don't get your ass up and ready right the fuck now!" John was up in a second at the loud voice, looking around in panic with wide eyes then fumbling for his glasses on the nightstand.

"Karkat!" He frowned as he looked up at him after shoving his glasses onto his face. "I was sleeping! What's the matter? Is the branch on fire?" At the possibility his eyes widened, and he scrambled to get out of bed, trying to hurry to the door. Karkat blocked his way, making an effective barricade with his trained and toned body, which John's weak arms couldn't match as he tried to push against him.

"Egbert!" Karkat barked out the name with a scowl, making John freeze and look up into his face. "The branch is not fucking on fire, oh my god! I'm getting you up early so you can get ready for your Gifted training, so I can drop you off and go to elite training myself. Oh, don't give me that damn surprised look, what, did you think they'd honestly let a fucking twenty-one year old soldier who's barely made his way up within his own fucking regiment pass as any kind of elite? No fucking way, Egbert, you're not the only one who has to go through an academy now, and you're just going to have to get used to it, aren't you?" Karkat's face was the picture of "talk back and I'll make your life hell on earth," so John wisely decided just to nod and go through his wardrobe for clothes. Karkat scowled and barked, "Don't waste your time on a shower, if they're training you to fight you'll need one a lot more by tonight anyway. I'll make us breakfast, hurry up, I'll be in the kitchen."

He trudged to the kitchen to cook an egg, or at least part of one, the rest of it put into a tub for later. He knew by now that these eggs were the ones that were infertile; they wouldn't have produced baby birds in any case. It wasn't anything fancy, something made just to get by, really, and it was a basic thing, something he'd done every day before patrol or scouting.

Crimson eyes peered upwards as sleepy, slow footsteps made their way across the threshold of the kitchen. "Took you long enough. Your hair's a fucking mess, Egbert, go run a brush through it. Breakfast is almost ready." The egg was finishing on the stove, and the bread popped up from the toaster as he spoke, showing perfectly-done, crisp golden-brown outsides that could only be managed by watching the time carefully. If you were a fairy with any kind of magic (for there were the unfortunate few completely without), that definitely helped too.

John grumbled in return to Karkat's command as he turned away. "Get off my back, gosh. You're not my dad, trust me when I say I wish he were here instead." He shuffled out of the room and towards the bathroom, obviously still groggy.

"Needs to get used to the schedule," Karkat mumbled to himself, dividing the egg evenly between two plates and plucking the toast from the toaster to put it alongside the eggs. "He's never gonna fucking survive this training if he doesn't. Idiot." He shook his head, a scowl growing on his lips. He was getting so caught up in John's training, but his own was coming up fast. Of course, he was more prepared- he'd been through it all before, this was only taking his training to a whole new level and delving deeper.

John walked back in seeming more refreshed after a few minutes, and Karkat guessed he'd splashed cold water on his face by the way his bangs were still wet. "Eat." The soldier pushed one of the plates towards the Gifted, already having eaten most of what was on his own plate.

John stared at the plate for a moment before looking back up at Karkat with a grin. "Thanks, Karkat!" he chirped. "It's like you're my housewife already." He wiggled his eyebrows, teasing, but Karkat didn't care if the scowl on his face was anything to go by.

"You're going to have to be serious about this training, dumbass," he barked, expression stormy, as always. "Don't even fucking joke. If it's half as fucking bad as mine was, you're going to have a really damn tough time with this shit. I'm just trying to get you mentally prepared so you don't even fucking think of trying to back out the first day. Trust me, I'm pretty fucking sure they're not going to let you back out, since you seem to be so damn important and all."

The Heir seemed to be taken aback by the foul language spewing forth from Karkat's mouth almost as often as the words of common decency. Then he began to laugh. "Aw, there's the Karkat I remember, haha! Beep beep meow! Remember that? You used to hate it when I did that when we were younger! Speaking of which, you used to be a a little shortstack, what happened? It was adorable!" He beamed, showing off his teeth, which Karkat was shocked to discover were now grown in perfectly straight. No more adorable buckteeth, which he found himself strangely disappointed by.

He shook his head to dislodge such thoughts from his mind. Ugh, kiddie crushes could be a real fucking pain to get rid of. Past him was an idiot for letting himself fall for John at all. And besides, this Present John had pretty much ruined his career and any chance of having a life outside of him. He was a real pain, and certainly nothing to fawn over.

"I'm waiting by the door when you decide you're ready," Karkat sighed after a minute of watching John eat at a painstakingly slow rate, at least for Karkat's taste. He was, after all, used to scarfing down his meals. He rose and walked to the door, grabbing the letter that waited on the little table by the door without another thought. It was obviously meant for him, with the elite academy symbol sealing the envelope.

Karkat had honestly planned to wait to drop John off at his Gifted training to open up his envelope and read whatever further instructions awaited him, but within seconds he was bored of just waiting for John. He gave it a few more seconds before digging his fingers into the space between envelope and fold to tear open the dark blue wax seal, shaped like a pair of "warrior wings," leaf-like, with the elite flare- a shield, to stand for their main job, protection of their colony and those in it, whereas a regular warrior seal would be dark green with a sword instead.

It told him a time and place for his training that day, along with his instructor's name- a one miss Meenah Peixes. His eyes widened at the last name. It couldn't be- no, not possibly- but only the former Head of Council, Her Imperious Condescension, and her family had that name! He knew her daughter, who had been in training to take over the position of Head of Council when her mother had been kicked out a few years ago, and was still in training to that day. But did Feferi have a sister? He thought about it and just vaguely got a glimpse at a memory of one. He'd hardly been able to stand Feferi, after all- but she was still his friend, of course.

He'd always been adept at surrounding himself with idiots. Speaking of which- here came one of the said idiots now, slipping his bag onto his shoulder, though it looked considerably less packed to the brim than the day before.

"Just food," John explained at Karkat's "you're such a dumbass for bringing that" look. "I figure we'll have lunch break sometime, so I did what I usually do and made myself lunch! Is that not acceptable, Mister Grump?"

"I'm pretty sure that if they have lunch for a bunch of fucking no-good expendable future-soldiers in the military training camp, then you're all going to be treated to a fucking feast in your Gifted training. You are, after all, the asswipes of the century that everyone thinks we need but that we do just fine without." Karkat was seething just at the sight of John. If he could just strangle him and be done, he probably would have.

"Wow, Karkat." John was giving him a genuinely wounded look. "That was really mean. You didn't used to be like this. I mean, you did, but it was always in good fun or something, and it was never really mean. When did you stop caring about other people's feelings?" By the look on his face, he wasn't bluffing with his words one bit. He was being completely serious.

"I don't have time to care about my life or anybody else's when I'm battling to save my colony," was Karkat's snappish response after a pause, baring his teeth at John. "Feelings don't matter when you're ambushed by a group of pixies or sprites and it's you or them, and all you can do is know that it has to be them if you want to save the people inside the colony barriers!"

John was silent for a few minutes, looking down at his feet, and Karkat pushed away a twinge of worry in his chest. Then a couple of droplets of water dripped from his chin to the floor, catching the morning light flooding in through the branch balcony doors on their way down, which was really the only reason Karkat saw them. He reached out to John hesitantly, putting a hand on his shoulder. "John, I didn't mean-"

"No," John said coldly, pushing away Karkat's hand. When he looked up, it was with a searing gaze, threatening, even. "I thought I was getting back a friend when I learned it was you. But boy was I wrong. Wasn't I, Karkat?"

"John, don't-"

"Don't tell me what I can and can't do. Just take me to this stupid Gifted training already."

Karkat fell silent, pursing his lips, before he nodded. This was his job, after all. It wasn't like he could say anything against John. Without another word, he pushed open the door to take John to the treetop, where he would be training. He pushed all the 'I'm-sorries' from his mind, figuring it was best if they didn't have any emotional attachment, especially John. Karkat would probably get caught up in his own emotions within the year and lay his life on the line for John, after all.

* * *

Meenah seemed a little full of herself, but it also seemed that she quickly took a liking to the mouthy soldier not even meant to be where he was in the world. He decided that this commander wasn't so bad herself. She introduced herself as the head of training in the most prestigious ranks of elites, those who were above even the rest of their kind. This now included Karkat because of this whole guardian fiasco and a simple mistake. Even though Karkat knew he was in trouble for it, he couldn't help but feel a little proud at that, that he'd made it this far. It caused a pang of guilt when he remembered it was all thanks to John, though, and he'd been so terrible to him earlier.

They went over the basics that first day, things Karkat already knew. They were in an open area, away from the rest of the colony, so that they could have complete privacy and solitude, not to be disturbed so Karkat, apparently deemed unreliable to be able to block out things on his own, wouldn't be distracted. Meenah managed to test him on every skill he'd learned within thirteen hours, and by the time they were through, it had become dark, and she'd had him light torches to continue training. The only times he'd been allowed a break were to eat lunch and dinner, and a pause once every two hours for water.

Though, according to Meenah, he didn't even know half the things she had to teach.

By the time the day was through, Meenah had definitely decided that she liked Karkat, and told him to meet her at the local elite-exclusive pub the next day at sundown if he wanted to meet the rest of her crew, and that she'd get him on the list. He didn't intend to go. After all, what use would he be drunk? He'd had experience with that before. He knew he'd be no use at all, and such a screw-up could get him executed for neglecting his duties to his kingdom, and now, John.

He went home bone-tired, a feeling he was used to. John was already asleep, apparently, nestled snugly into his bed. That disappointed Karkat a little bit, which was unexpected, especially when he realized it was because he'd wanted to apologize and see how John's day had gone. He shook away the thoughts and prepared for bed, showering down and downing another couple of glasses of water before he allowed himself to crawl into his own bed and sleep.

**The winner of the contest was technically a one Megahit1324, a Wonderland GamTav AU, which will be posted shortly. However! I owe LordCat something in return for the amazing cover art for Lovestuck, so she will be receiving her Vantascest later, and the other two requests, GamJohn and DirkxCaliborn, sparked my interest, so technically, everyone that entered won. Whoop! **

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter, guys. Lots of fillers before the real action starts, sorry. VuV But this story is planned to be about 48 chapters long, counting the prologues and the epilogue! :3 Don't you look forward to it? X'D**

**-Silver**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 3: Dinner: **John**

"He's a jerk!"

"Haha, John, I think he's always been a jerk. I thought you used to love his 'different' personality more than your life, huh?"

"Oh my god. Jade, shut up. Do you even get what I'm saying here? Before he was just really defensive, but he was a good person and really cared for everyone. Now, though, I'm just... I'm not really sure any more. I mean, sure, he made me breakfast. That was about the extent of his kindness this morning." John frowned in Jade's direction, glancing at Nepeta, who walked nearby, pretending not to hear while, in fact, she was charged with watching both of them while Karkat wasn't around and John was with Jade. He was grateful to her for trying to give them their privacy, but at the same a nagging little thought in the back of his mind wished she'd butt in to defend Karkat and tell him it wasn't true.

"Well, look," Jade sighed, also glancing at Nepeta, "I'm sure he just needs to get used to us again. Not to mention how he wasn't even supposed to be there, and he's probably going to be in trouble for not refusing to be chosen, even if that could've resulted in something pretty bad for him too, maybe even worse, depending on you, probably. John, you just have to think, he's out there working his ass off right now just because you picked him, and he's learning how to protect you the best way he can. Why can't you just get over his attitude? That defensiveness he had going on when we used to know him all those years ago? It's probably only gotten worse, and that's what you're seeing. Give him a chance."

John grumbled to himself, "He's a fucking asshole now, though," before speaking up and adding to Jade, "I'll try, okay? But I'm not promising anything!" A light breeze tickled his cheek as the group was led from one branch to another, having to use their wings for a short flight across and down. It was quicker this way, their guide had explained; one of the younger members of the Council who had, apparently, finished his own training only a few years before. He was rather talkative, actually, not to mention excitable.

The breeze. Wind seemed much different now than it had just that much morning to the newly pronounced Heir of Breath. His lessons that day had taken place with an old Gifted, the last Hero of Breath. His name was Rufioh, John had learned, and he was the Rogue of Breath, instead of the Heir. At first he hadn't really gotten the whole class and aspect thing, but the first thing Rufioh had done was explain it thoroughly, and not even just for his class and aspect, but for all of them. He'd said that John should know them all to truly appreciate everyone else like him. After that, they'd done some basic battle training, though not nearly enough to actually perfect any moves, but he was told to practice over time, and that it would be getting harder, though John had expected that. But near the end of the day, during their first actual flight lessons after their wings had filled out, something astonishing had happened.

John tripped.

He remembered it like he was living it all over again. There was nothing there that could have tripped him, no little knot or crevice in the tree bark. In fact, it had almost felt as though someone had pushed him, but later the witnesses had told him that it just seemed like he took a step forward and went flying off the branch. He could hardly fly yet, and it was so sudden that it was all he could do to flail and give his wings a few strained beats.

And then, just before he was about to hit a branch, his life flashing before his eyes, a cushion of wind caught him. It was almost as if it were laughing at him as it whipped his hair around. Slowly, he righted himself and concentrated, focusing on getting the air cushion to rise until his feet touched down lightly on the branch again. Realizing he'd closed his eyes, he opened them to see shocked faces, none more so than Rufioh's. "John, you just used your abilities," he said numbly, shell-shocked as he took a step towards John.

John shrugged, feeling uneasy. "Well, it's what I'm supposed to do, isn't it? Use whatever powers this Gifted title has given me, or learn how to use them, anyway, for the benefit of the colony? I just used them to save myself for now." He glanced around, frowning as his friends and their guardians recovered quicker than the rest, murmuring among themselves. Rufioh took a couple of steps towards his student, mirroring his frown.

"I do not know a single other Gifted that learned how to use their powers so precisely so quickly. Maybe it was the situation, but that was both the most incredible and the most shocking thing I've seen yet while dealing with Gifteds." Rufioh rubbed his brow, a look of worry crossing his features before vanishing into a smile as he sighed. "Perhaps you're just a little more Gifted than I was, or maybe the wind likes you better than it did me and wants you to survive." He glanced over at the overseer of their training, a member of the Council, who nodded and made a gesture back towards the trunk of the tree.

"Time to go inside, you all. I will send out a younger Council member momentarily to help you all to the dining area, as I have some business to attend to. However, for safety's sake, please come closer to the main tree. We've already had one too many accidents today, and next time we might not be so lucky." She sent a pointed glance at John, who smiled sheepishly while also wondering how it was his fault that he'd tripped. What, did he somehow push himself off the branch? It wasn't his fault...

They all followed the Council member back near the tree trunk, however, and waited there as she had instructed while another Council member was being summoned. That led to where they were now, walking into the dining hall. John had been expecting Karkat to join them sometime around that point, or at least be waiting behind his chair in the dining hall, but it wasn't so. His absence was troubling, but John pushed those thoughts away in favor of remaining mad at him, though it was a little hard when he was wondering where his so-called 'ex-friend' could be.

They sat down to a veritable feast, the table covered in portions of fruit and vegetables, as well as rolls, and, as John was astonished to see, what he assumed was squirrel meat. Most of the lower classes in the colony could easily afford any type of bird meat, but squirrel meat, which was darker in color and richer in taste, was harder to come by at a reasonable price. John had eaten it only once before, during a holiday celebration, and then it was only a small portion, though by no means were the Egberts poor. The meat was simply that expensive.

Jade seemed eager to get eating at that point, as soon as she set her eyes on the feast, and took up a seat at the table set for twelve. Nepeta sat down as well, gesturing for John to sit with them, as the other guardian and Gifted pairs were yet still absorbed in "getting to know each other," which Kanaya and Rose seemed to be doing in earnest, but which Dave and Gamzee only seemed to be feigning, while in actuality they were taunting and jibing each other, swapping insults over things that didn't matter.

John wished he and Karkat were still on better terms like they had been when they were younger. Watching Dave and Gamzee, he felt a sense of melancholy fall over him as he recognized what was happening between them. It wasn't real fighting, even if they thought it was. That was the kind of fighting Karkat and John had done when they were still friends. And here he was, not even want to be thinking about Karkat, but brooding over their nonexistent relationship. Maybe he did still care about Karkat- completely platonically, of course! He'd never liked a guy like that! He'd gotten way too used to be the odd one out of most of the colony to actually start falling for a guy now. He decided he'd talk to Karkat later, maybe, try to apologize, even, if the other was in a good enough mood. He certainly wasn't going to apologize if Karkat was still being an asshole.

As it was, it seemed only Jade and Nepeta cared to invite him to join them at the moment, everyone else too wrapped up in their own conversations. John was painfully aware of the empty seat bedside him, while the other Gifteds and their guardians chatted and the instructors talked over their respective "glory days." Even though Jade and Nepeta tried to include him in their conversations, he seemed so alone, separate from the rest. He knew if Karkat were here he wouldn't feel like this... He would at least have someone to argue with, if nothing else.

When a member of the council stopped by to check on them just before they started to retire to their rooms, she seemed to sense that something was wrong with John. He cringed as she slipped into the seat beside of him, a smile on her face and her dark auburn hair spilling to the floor, her fuschia wings folded neatly behind her. "Are you alright?" she asked, voice bubbly with cheer. "You don't seem so whale! Oh, wait- John? The buoy who picked a regular soldier as his guard?" She looked around, frowning a little. "Where is he?"

"Training," John replied, trying to make it seem like he didn't mind that Karkat was absent, and that he didn't mind that she was sitting in the seat that was clearly meant for him. "Since, you know, he didn't go to an elite academy."

"But he's supposed to guard you!" Upon closer inspection, John discovered that this woman was quite young to be in the council, maybe only a little older than the guardians, if not the same age. "You picked Crabcakes, right? He's an old frond of mine!" She smiled fondly, though John's frown only deepened as it dawned on him that this lady liked water puns. They were a little cheesy, even for his taste, with his love for jokes that he'd inherited from his father.

"You mean Karkat? Yeah. He used to be my friend too. I'm not sure what happened to him, though... He's acting like... Well, I just don't know." He sighed, shrugging and looking down at what was left of his food, picking at it and taking a couple of bites. He vaguely noticed Gamzee and Dave leaving out of the corner of his eye, but he turned back to look at the councilwoman. "He acts like he just doesn't like me anymore. Like he just doesn't away to be around me." He shrugged it off like it was no big deal and looked at the other fairy. "So I guess you know my name, but I don't really know yours."

"Feferi Peixes!" she chirped, holding out her hand, which John took to shake. The name sounded vaguely familiar... "I'm the Head of Council!" He froze and looked at the woman, not three years older than himself and fond of fish puns- but yes, that was definitely ringing a bell now. "I know Karcrab can be a little, whale, _crabby_ sometimes, but give him a chance? He's had to prove himself a lot the past seaveral years, with the wing disorder and all. He wasn't put in the academy for his wings, after all! They didn't give him a niche, sea, and it was his way with weapons and a few fronds like me that helped him get in! He couldn't show weakness any of that time, so you gotta sea that it was hard for him!" She smiled, then stood. "So don't be angry, and please don't become anemones with him. He needs more fronds like you." John sighed and started to reply, but it seemed that she was already walking away.

Looking around, he noticed they'd been the only ones left at the table, and he sighed as he rose from his seat to start heading back to his room. It occurred to him that someone should've waited so that he'd still be with a guard, but he pushed that thought away in favor of appreciating the time he got to be alone with his thoughts. He definitely hoped Karkat was in the room when he returned as he thought more about him, wanting to make up with him for their earlier fight when Karkat was probably just trying to make sure he got to training on time and was prepared for it.

He was disappointed when Karkat wasn't there, and he suddenly realized how tired he felt as his optimism at the possibility of making up with Karkat that night drained from him. A sigh escaped John's lips, and he went to go take a shower, indeed feeling a little gross with all the sweating he'd done during combat training, just as Karkat had warned him. Ugh! Karkat, Karkat, Karkat... That's all he could think about now, wasn't it? He decided he was just worried that he wouldn't be forgiven, and as he stepped out of the shower he decided he'd sleep on it, not really having the energy to wait up for the soldier to return.

The Heir was asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow.

**This is kinda late, but at least it's here now? :'D Here you go, everybody, next chapter! ^w^ Yeah, it will be kind of dull at first. But trust me, the excitement in later chapters will make up for it and have you all on edge. ;3**

**-Silver**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 4: The Pub: _Karkat_

Karkat woke up around the same time the next morning, going through the new routine he'd already gotten used to, waking John up but not even glancing at him after that, as John didn't seem to be in a mood to talk to him, either. Karkat wanted to apologize profusely to his old friend, while at the same time he wanted to go off on a rage and ask John just who he thought he was, Gifted or not. He was acting like Karkat had done something wrong when he'd only been helping him, as he was supposed to!

Their routine continued for a few days, Karkat waking John and the two of them getting ready for the day, eating in stony silence, before Karkat took John to Gifted training before slinking off to his own, the isolated part of the tree becoming his safe haven, where he could take out his frustrations on dummies and sparring partners, ago were actually Meenah for a large percentage of the time. She commented on his growing recklessness with each session, grinning all the while as she was able to beat Karkat faster and faster with each passing day. He was becoming predictable, leaving too much open to attack.

Finally, she got fed up with her student's attitude, and Karkat could see just the moment when she did. It was almost a week after Karkat decided he'd be mad at John for a while, or forever, and he was supposed to be using a technique against Meenah that would enable him to disarm pixies in one blow, a move that he'd been stuck on for the past three days, his lack of focus causing him to be unable to pull the blow off just so, how it was supposed to be. Meenah finally snapped and caught his arm within the first minute of the mock fight, throwing him over her shoulder so he landed with a sickening snap on his back.

He groaned as he sat up, wincing and taking the weight off one arm, which seemed to be broken. That must've been the snapping noise. "What the hell, Meenah?" He asked sharply as he stood. One wasn't ever supposed to truly endanger one's opponents while training unless they already knew what they were doing or it was a test approved by the council. Karkat was almost one hundred percent certain that that was not council approved.

Meenah scowled in his direction as she snatched his arm out, making him yelp, and pulled up his sleeve to reveal the already swelling and bruising skin in the place around where the bone had broken. She pulled out a jar of some type of cream, tinged a whitish-green, and unscrewed the cap, dipping a few fingers into the cream and smearing it over the purpling area on his arm. "What the fuck? Stop it, that seriously h-!" His protests died in his throat as he noticed the swelling instantly disappear and the pain vanish. "Is that a potion or something?" he immediately asked, furrowing his brow.

"Yeah, it is. Now, whale you give me a second to ask you somefin?" Meenah barked, obviously impatient. "You're pretty dam unfocused today, and I refish to teach a student who doesn't listen." She folded her arms and gave him an impatient look while he looked over his recently broken and healed arm to make sure it was intact again, looking more that a little irked at Meenah's careless and brutal actions and taking his time, only making her angrier by the second.

He finally looked back up at her and rolled his eyes. "It's my personal goddamn business." At a threatening glower and something like a growl from Meenah, Karkat sighed and amended, "I'm kind of fighting with John, and I don't want to apologize, because he is clearly the one at fucking fault. He is also refusing to apologize too, though, and I can only think about how much he deserves to have me fucking hate him with all that I am! Sure, I'm all fucking prepared to go through with my shitty job until 'the day I die,' but it would most fucking certainly make it better if he wasn't such a goddamn asshole!"

"Soldier!" Karkat snapped to attention at that, back stiff and straight and three fingers over his heart in a traditional fairy soldier salute, staring straight ahead. He could see Meenah's scowl from his peripheral vision, she was so displeased. He was definitely in for it now, and he braced himself for the barrage of shouted words that was sure to come.

"It's not your business to be a grumpy-gills over how your charge chooses to act." Sure enough, Meenah's voice was loud and harsh, grating against Karkat's eardrums and making him flinch slightly. This was his higher-up, after all, and he didn't want to lose his job as a soldier. "And you know what else? The way I'be been told you are, I wouldn't be shell-shocked if you started this little feud you you two have going on! Shell you what," she finally sighed, cocking her hip and setting a hand on it, poking Karkat in the chest with the other, "it's offishally and order for you to come to the pub tomorrow. Relax, let yourshellf out of that net you seem to have made for yourself. Bring your charge, too, and kiss and make up, for the cods' sake. No, not literally, before you ask. Do I make myshellf clear?"

As soon as Karkat gave her a nod of confirmation, Meenah turned to take a few paces away from him, once again turning on her heel when she was a few yards from him, her expression commanding and stormy. "Good, now fucking focus on the training, soldier! We do not have room for little sea shrimps in the elites! Try the maneuver once shore, or until you can get it right!"

* * *

Karkat cast a pensive eye over the figure in John's bed, just being able to make him out in the dim lighting of the room, as he allowed a small breath to pass his lips. He was sleeping again, of course. He always was when Karkat returned. This was an obstacle he'd have to get past in order to tell him about the orders Meenah had issued to the two of them, which were apparently completely imperative to his training performance, unconventional though they may be.

Another soft breath, a small sigh, as Karkat reluctantly let up his pose of leaning in the doorway and took a few strides across the room to John's bedside, his footsteps soft on the wooden floors. He reached out to clasp a hand on John's shoulder, shaking him gently to rouse him from slumber. "John, will you fucking wake up? This is more important that whatever vulgar wet dreams you're being intoxicated with, and we don't have time for ass-lickers on the job. Get the fuck up!" There were his usual mannerisms, then, his voice a gruff mumble, contrary to the way he was physically being gentle with trying to wake the young hero.

A moody little groan, then a mumble of a few obscenities, signalled the waking of the resting heir. He slowly sat up, Karkat releasing his hold on his shoulder, and rubbed at his eyes, sighing before his jaws opened in a wide yawn. "Fuck, s'it morning already?" he grumbled, blinking drowsily at Karkat. "M'tired. Can I have five more minutes?" The soldier pushed away the slight pang of guilt in his chest. John was so tired that he was actually talking to him, like a civilized person no less.

Instead, he sighed, leaning a little farther away from John. "I have this goddamn brilliant assignment," Karkat said, voice laced with sarcasm. "You're involved, and it's not the one about protecting you, before you decide to be a moron and ask. Hear me out before your lazy ass goes back to sleep, though, alright?" He received only a short nod in reply from John, who was now pursing his lips, seeming to have remembered that the two of them weren't on the best of terms."My instructor wants us to go out with her and some other elites tomorrow after training for drinks. Meenah seems to think it will end this feud going on between us, but honestly, I think we're turning into the cancer of the colony's large intestine with all this fighting, and we'd probably at least do well to stop fighting so publicly." He sighed again, exasperated with the whole thing. "Honestly it sounds like a lot of complete bullshit, and I know that better than even you do, but it's better than having Meenah bark my ear off about this constantly."

The heir seemed to study him skeptically before sighing and nodding, settling back into his blankets with his back to Karkat. "Go take a bath," he grumbled, his voice barely audible from his place bundled up in the blankets. "You smell like sweat." Within moments after that, his breathing had slowed, telling Karkat that he'd gone back to sleep.

Karkat snorted, his lips attempting to twitch up into a little smile of amusement, but he pushed the urge down, walking to the bathroom after grabbing his nightclothes. John wasn't telling him that out of spite, nor to insult him; it was common among fairies to remind those they cared for to take care of themselves and their hygiene if it even seemed like they'd forgotten. For most fairies, it was such an everyday thing that it was almost an instinct, starting from a very young age. So John did still care…..

* * *

"Karkat?" John's voice rose above the crowd, wary as he flitted around all of the other fairies in the seating area of the pub, trailing after Karkat. "You said Meenah was meeting us here, right? Where is she?"

The elder of the two glanced back at John, who had been with Karkat ever since the boy had finished his dinner, Gamzee and Dave having brought him to the area where he and Meenah usually trained. The elite and hero had stayed for a short while, but soon had left, as Meenah told them their arguing was a disruption to Karkat's training. John had sat down, leaning against a tree branch, near the edge of the flattened space that made the usual arena, dozing off from what Karkat had seen whenever he glanced over, when he was suddenly wide awake the next time he looked, appearing alert and intrigued. Before going on her own merry way, to get ready for the night out, Meenah had commented on Karkat's apparent pick-up in agility and stamina in the middle of the maneuver they'd been going over when John gained interest, giving Karkat a knowing smirk that he hadn't liked, but had brushed off with a gruff word of thanks.

After that, Karkat had led John back to their room, the only words exchanged between them being short greetings, and they'd taken turns showering off the filth of the day, pulling on new, casual clothes instead of the armor they used for safety during training. They'd then set off for the pub, the way there still spent in stony silence, Karkat doing his best to ignore the awkwardness between the two of them.

Now, here they were, attempting to fight their way to the bar of the pub, which was surprisingly noisy and crowded for being that reserved for elites and their guests, who should've been few and far between, unless they were other elites. It wasn't common for them to have friends outside of their squadron, Karkat had learned. After all, he was usually here with Gamzee and his squad on nights off. Right now, however, he had two additions that he wasn't used to; John, who was looking uneasy as he followed Karkat, and the fact that he was training to become one of the elites that crowded the room.

"Meenah said she'd meet us by the bar," Karkat finally sighed, pushing between a last group or two of fairies to burst into the area, stumbling before he caught himself, righting his stance so he was standing proudly, as usual, straight and tall. John followed, but was not so fortunate as to find his feet, and Karkat had to catch him as he almost fell, with a gruff mumble of "Be more fucking careful. Gods."

John's lips drew into a thin line as he brushed himself off, but the tight-lipped effect quickly wore off as he looked up, Karkat being secretly amused by the light of surprise and wonder that entered his charge's eyes, a soft sound of surprise leaving him. "Oh." Karkat rolled his eyes and changed his little smile into an exasperated smirk, sparing the firefly-lit bar less than a glance; it was stylized after early fairy civilization's harmony with nature kick (which was still maintained, of course, as they tried to preserve the life of the forest, but they'd found a way to do so while still using more "modernized" ideas borrowed from humans and made better by fairy-kind's scientists and magic-users alike). The stools of the bar were made from tiny tree stumps, tall enough to actually be able to serve as stools, set at a fallen log, which had bits of moss springing from the sides, colorful mushrooms creeping up from the floor, and a surface that looked as though someone had run a saw across it vertically when it was upright to make it into a table, or, in this case, a bar. The people seated at the bar were drinking from pints made of wood, and behind the counter, bartenders worked by the more subdued light of glowworms in paper lanterns. Bottles of all shapes, sizes, and tints held the alcoholic beverages that the few bartenders were serving, the seeming randomness of it all almost worrying, if Karkat hadn't been here before to know that they knew what they were doing.

Karkat pulled John away from gawking at the faerie decor, an unmasked scowl on his face. He'd finally located the group they'd be joining, and was pulling John along towards it, trying not to sigh in exasperation as John let out an indignant protest. Meenah sat towards the very end of the bar, along with a few other fairies, three of whom Karkat recognized from Gamzee's former squad, the other two he did not.

"Crabcatch, you finally made it!" A grin spread across Meenah's face as she straightened to wave him over, holding up her glass to direct them to the two seats she'd apparently saved. Karkat gave him a respectful nod as they sat, but she nudged him teasingly, rolling her eyes. "Come on, Vantas, let loose a little! Here, let me introduce you to my fronds here. This is my gillfrond, Aranea Serket." She smiled and nodded towards a younger woman beside her, who smiled politely at John and Karkat, the expression seeming warm and familiar on her rosy face and painted lips, cobalt, to match her eyes. Strawberry-blond hair, with streaks of black and blue, hung to just above her shoulders, her skin a rich shade of dark tan from, perhaps, too many hours in the sun. She seemed to have donned a nautical-themed outfit for this occasion, a black dress patterned with dark blue like the overcoats of navy officers, that hugged her figure and, Karkat noticed wth a little snort, seemed to be catching Meenah's eyes. So Meenah was only joking when she hit on Karkat before.

"And then there's Cronus, my second-in-command." As her gaze switched to Cronus, it was openly disdainful as she gestured to the man in a bright violet general's uniform, who, Karkat noticed with a little shudder, was observing both himself and John with bedroom eyes. That was more than a little intrusive. He leaned between John and those violet eyes on principle- it was totally, definitely _not_ a protective urge that suddenly overcame him- and got a suggestive eyebrow wiggle in return for his efforts. "I guess you know these other sea shrimps?" Meenah interruped the silent exchange (thankfully, on Karkat's part) as she gestured to the few elites from Gamzee's old squad.

Karkat gave her a gracious nod in return for saving him before he responded. "Yeah. Hey Eridan, Sollux, Terezi. How're you guys?" His voice was a little terse as he spoke to them, quite aware of their polyamorous relationship, and even after all this time, tensions between himself and Terezi were still running high. Though Sollux was the one in the "center" of the relationship, so to speak, and Terezi didn't have too much emotional attachment to Eridan (which was too bad; the guy deserved her affection in at least a small part if they wanted to truly declare their relationship polyamorous, and seeing how half the time he and Sollux appeared to hate each other anyhow), Karkat was still a little sore that she's chosen not one, but two men over himself. What made it even worse was how _well_ their relationship worked.

Though he wasn't really in the mood to talk to them, or at least Terezi (who wasn't wearing her glasses, and had donned a loose teal dress with red decoration of her military identification sign, the human "libra," on her torso, added to her dark brown hair hanging in a loose ponytail down the back of her neck), only inquiring about their well-being out of kindness, they did, of course, answer. "Sol's bein' an ass to me, as usual. How about you, Kar?" Eridan still seemed to be having trouble with his w's, Karkat noted, and probably his v's as well. He looked over his friend once, noting that he wasn't wearing his usual pinstriped pants, but a pair of solid black ones, along with a loose t-shirt that matched the color of his wings, and his usual scarf around his neck (probably trying to hide bruises from Sollux), as well as his glasses, the violet streak Karkat remembered still in his brown hair. Karkat was preparing to answer him when Terezi cut across him with a little gasp.

"Karkat? I knew I smelled someone familiar!" She grinned and hopped up, apparently having been too distracted with Sollux before to notice him, which only served to irritate the soldier further. He stiffened when she got up, only to run over and throw her arms around his shoulders, giving him one of her infamous grins as she placed a sloppy kiss on his cheek. "Karkles! I've messed you! Oh, wow, you still taste all tan and grumpy! Are you sure I can't lick one of those delicious-smelling wings? Just a little taste?" She sat back, squishing his cheeks playfully, while Karkat himself wasn't at all amused. "Who's the date of yours? His wings smell like blueberries!"

"I'm not his date!" John was quick to protest, making Karkat roll his eyes and turn the the bartender as he approached, ordering a pint of the strongest for himseld, and after a moment, deciding on one for John as well. It would do the young man good to loosen up a little for once, even if the strong drink no longer had any real effect on Karkat himself.

"You're sure you're not?" he heard Terezi ask, despite trying to block her out, and glanced over to see she'd put an arm around John and was grinning in his general direction, though her eyes were just slightly off, by less than an inch. He remembered her talking proudly of her mother when they were little, boasting, almost, who taught her to see "like a dragon," with smell and taste. Her mother, Latula "Redglare" Pyrope, who had been wrongly hanged a few years ago on an accusation of aiding in the escape of a renegade pirate.

He sighed in relief as Terezi finally went to sit back down from chatting away with John, not really sure why he cared. John could step right into that relationship if he wanted to. Really, he could say "ha" and point out how, even if John was limiting the sex part to Terezi, he was still in a relationship with guys. It irritated him that Terezi was picking on John like that, though, because he wasn't sure if she was truly being serious and flirting with his charge, or if she was trying to get under Karkat's skin, which was already buzzing in his irrate state.

The bartender was soon back with drinks, putting one in front of both John and Karkat, as well as putting something that looked a bit fruity in from of Cronus. "Karkat?" He looked up from his drink to glance at John, who was staring skeptically into the amber liquid in the pint. Karkat's frown deepend as he asked, "Do I have to drink this?" A soft scoff came from the soldier's lips, as it was truly unthinkable to him for any soldier, of any kind, to not be able to hold their liquor, not after the past six years of training and diligent serivice.

"You don't have to," he finally sighed, "but try just a damn sip or something. It's not like it'll kill you, if you're not reckless about it. But if you really don't want to, just give it to me and I'll drink it after a while, whenever I get done with this one." Of course, he wouldn't force John to drink it. That would be disrespectful of his wishes, if he didn't want it. But Karkat was also aware that if he took John's drink they'd be here even longer than if John deicded to drink it himself; Karkat, being smart about this kind of thing, usually allowed himself time, about an hour and a half, for each pint, knowing how dangerous the alcohol could be if he ingested too much all at once.

There was a pause from John before he sighed. "Fine." He raised the cup to his lips, but before Karkat could watch his take the first swallow, his attention was pulled away by Meenah.

"Crabcatch, I just wanted to tell you that you're already improving and swells on your way to becoming an elite," she informed him with a little nod. "And Aranea wanted you to know that you'll be boarding her little fishter's ship for the nautical portion of your training, which shoald only last a couple of days, in all honesty. You learn faster than a barracuda can swim, Crabcatch." He felt his chest puff out a little with the praise as he straightened, giving her another respectful nod at the compliment.

"Thank you, Meenah." Karkat turned back to John as he gripped his shoulder tightly, turning around to see the boy looking at him with wide eyes and gaping jaws. "What the fuck do you want?" he asked irritably, pursing his lips.

"Dude, this stuff tastes like how flying feels," he mumbled, holding up his glass, which made Karkat snicker and roll his eyes.

"You didn't think I'd drink it if it tasted like piss, do you? Of course it's going to taste good, it's made mostly of sugarcane, fuckass." He sighed, trying to work his lips into something a little more pleasant than his current dark scowl. "Look, just drink it. But don't guzzle. I don't want to have to carry you home."John gave a tiny nod of agreement, starting to get up. Karkat frowned, grabbing his sleeve. "Woah, wait, where do you think you're going?"

"I want to meet your friends! Terezi seemed pretty nice," John explained, pulling away from Karkat and walking over to the group of elites. It bothered Karkat once again. Did Terezi really like John? Did he _like_ Terezi? If they wanted to be in a relationship, Karkat wouldn't object. He was so busy worrying over this that he didn't even notice that John had been talking to him in an almost _kind_ way for the first time since whatever it was they'd fought about- he couldn't even recall now- had occured. Maybe that was proof enough that he should get over it, too, and enjoy his time with his old friend (even if he was pretending like he wasn't the entire time). _  
_

By the end of the night, John had predictably ordered two more drinks and drink them down, and Karkat did, indeed, have to carry him home. But surprisingly, it didn't bother him as much as he thought it should have, and though it confused him just slightly, he was okay with that.

**Sorry this took so long guys! I'm back! Haha, here's another chapter, extra-long for you guys. **

**-Silver**


End file.
